


Sapphire Dreams

by sfw_haikyuu_nsfw



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Environment, Mermaids, Multi, Science, Sirens, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-10-23 07:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17678774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sfw_haikyuu_nsfw/pseuds/sfw_haikyuu_nsfw
Summary: This has taken much longer to write than it should’ve, probably. But it’s a start! I tried to get as much exposition to the whole of the story as I could, but also really wanted to get this posted today. I apologize if the ending feels rushed!Hope you enjoy!





	1. Beneath the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> This has taken much longer to write than it should’ve, probably. But it’s a start! I tried to get as much exposition to the whole of the story as I could, but also really wanted to get this posted today. I apologize if the ending feels rushed!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Humans claim to know so much about the planet they live on.

They have conquered the ground they reside on, ripping apart the surface for their own benefit. Distorting the surface to fit the image they desire with no mind to the creatures they displace or the scarring they create.

They have tamed the air, using it to power their homes and hasten their travels. The quickest form of spreading disease and hatred among their kind.

And they have begun to wonder beyond the atmosphere of their own planet, searching for something that may or may not exist. Their eyes are open to it all and amongst the black abyss beyond, they dream of an unforeseen future of possibility.

But humans are also naive and blind. For as they scour the surface of the vast blue bodies that dominate their small rock, they know nothing of what dwells beneath the bellies of their ships. Nothing of the dangers and wonders that thrive within their own darkened void.

For their are beings beneath those pressures of blue that they have allowed themselves to forget. Beings only of terror. Beings of beauty. Beings of legend.

**...**

“Ugh, humans are disgusting,” a grimace was thrown across Oikawa’s face as his hands waved at the water in front of him in an attempt to redirect the pieces of trash floating towards him. Only after halfway succeeding and choosing to maneuver around the obstruction instead, did he cross his scaled arms over his chest, frown sinking in further. “Filth. In my home. My people deserve better than to live in the waste of another species.”

The grumbles of the prince gained him the gaze of his best friend and personal bodyguard, Iwaizumi. It was the usual gripe, one he agreed with. Humans were continuing to pollute their home quicker and quicker than they were able to keep up with the maintenance. Their homes bore a fine layer of a seemingly indestructible material they could never seem to rid themselves of, their kelp farms shrinking with each passing year, and their schools of fish - their main source of food - were being taken ashore for vast human consumption, leaving those merpeople too poor to afford it left to starve. It was, as Oikawa put it, disgusting.

“And what are you going to do about it?” Asking the question, Iwaizumi worried his tone didn’t match his genuine interest. His intention was not to provoke the prince - though provocation could produce some results - he was truly curious. Their people were experiencing a crisis unlike any they had ever seen before. Answers - or at the very least, ideas - was something they could only hope for.

Oikawa turned, eyes taking on an expression Iwaizumi didn’t know how to place. A helpless determination. The desire to do good by his people without the knowledge of a solution. It was unlike anything he had seen within his prince - hell, his best friend - before.

And this time… Iwaizumi didn’t know how to fix it.

The amount of deaths they’ve had within their tribe has grown over the past decade. New illnesses are sweeping through that no medicine can heal. The youth are finding themselves strangled amongst the nets and garbage, sometimes leaving them deformed for the remainder of their lives or even killed. 

The counsel has struggled with what to do. And with Oikawa to be the next king, many have looked to him for answers, to which he has none.

They had made an attempt at migration, moving everything they had known in search for a new source of food and cleaner waters. What they have discovered was dying reefs and limited supplies of food in every corner of the globe. Iwaizumi had been on many scouting in an attempt to find a refuge for him people only to find that there was not a piece of the ocean that has not been contaminated by humans in some way.

It makes him wonder why Mermaids fought so hard for the preservation of their species when they seperated from the Sirens. Families were split apart and sons fought fathers for their sake. Mothers found themselves childless and children were left without parents. Brothers, lovers, and loyalties were broken to dust, fueled by a compassion - or lack of - a species that remained oblivious to it all.

Iwaizumi hadn’t thought a time would come when the waters were filthier than they were with blood.

He was wrong.

Even nearly 100 years later, scars remained. Iwaizumi’s were physical. Oikawa’s were mental. While the knight recovered, the prince has yet to drag himself out of the despair that came from fighting to kill him people, his friends, his love.

“Come on,” Oikawa finally spoke, turning away from Iwaizumi, “I hate staying in Siren waters for too long.”

Iwaizumi had been tasked with gathering reports on their towers just on the outskirts of where their waters turn into the Siren’s. It was part of the treaty that was eventually created. Siren’s were permitted to keep feeding on human if they remained in their territory. The king had issued for outposts to be stationed to regulate the Siren’s activity. While it wasn’t agreed upon by both sides, they were built within Mermaid waters, allowing the Mermaid court to keep an eye on the Siren’s activity. As long as the Siren’s didn’t break the rules and Mermaid’s didn’t interfere with their way of life, peace remained.

The task was beneath him, being the personal guard of the prince. And it was even further beneath the crowned prince himself. But Iwaizumi always volunteered and Oikawa always insisted on tagging along.

For Iwaizumi it was a chance to pretend that their home was not perishing. He allowed himself to believe that their waters were clean and that their people were not suffering. Even if it was just for a short while.

For Oikawa though… he claimed it was because he had nothing else to do. But Iwaizumi knew. The prince was always searching, his eyes constantly scanning the water, looking for the figure he hadn’t seen since the treaty was decreed. Iwaizumi could see how his prince’s heart broke each time he forced his eyes away, unable to locate what he was searching for.

Iwaizumi was terrified of the day he actually found who he was looking for.

“It’s okay to mourn for him,” Iwaizumi tried quietly. He knew he was overstepping, knew he shouldn’t try to pry open that box Oikawa had closed so tightly. “It’s okay to miss Ushij—“

“Do _not_ say his name!”

The muscles in Oikawa’s back instantly tightened, the spines in the fins of his neck and arms stiffened. Iwaizumi watched the way his gills flared as his pace through the water picked up.

“Yes, your Highness...” Iwaizumi’s voice was low, his eyes calculating as he watched his prince’s shoulders shake, his webbed fingers curled tightly. Instinctively, he allowed himself to fall back slightly, giving Oikawa the space he needed to bury his emotions once again.

Iwaizumi didn’t know how to help, didn’t know how to maneuver around this situation. The concern that bubbled up for his friend made him want to push the topic, but responsibility of their positions held him back every time. He had only seen Oikawa break once in regards to Ushijima. It was the same day Iwaizumi’s mother cried as she held him as the declaration of war with the Siren’s was announced. He had been there when Oikawa begged Ushijima to fight with him and not against him, heard Ushijima plead the same. Both were too stubborn, both chose their people over each other. He was there to keep Oikawa from attacking at Ushijima’s turned back in a distressed rage. He felt the way that pain and anguish was translated to reddened eyes and nails into the skin of his scaled back. Felt the scream that was sure to fill the entirety of the oceans and imbedded itself into Iwaizumi’s bones - a feeling he would never forget.

Since that day, Oikawa had created a shell around the topic of Ushijima. Not even on the front lines of battle did Iwaizumi see Oikawa flinch at the prospect of meeting Ushijima in the middle of it. Even now, he watched at Oikawa turned his eyes hard on the ocean floor. They didn’t rise again until they returned through the front arch of the kingdom.

“I’ll report back to my father,” Oikawa announced when he finally turned to look at Iwaizumi again. Iwaizumi stared hard at him, searching for any sign of redness within his eyes. 

Iwaizumi felt his back instinctively straighten, his hand moving to the belt that rested at his hips, fingers grasping at the weapon there. The rust that clung to the man-crafted metal scraped familiarly along his skin. “I was ordered by the king to deliver—“

“And I’m ordering you to leave the deed with me,” it was the second time Oikawa had cut him off that day. It caused a knot to form in his stomach at the thought of leaving his friend and prince alone after causing the disturbance in his heart. Oikawa must’ve seen the concern in his eyes, for he pulled a smile onto his face, body easing easily into the caress of the waters around him. “Go check on Mattsun and Makki. Make sure they’re not burning something down without you there to keep them in line.”

Iwaizumi brought the hand at his blade to raise across his chest, the side of his fist pressing into his left breast. He barely got his verbal acknowledgement in before Oikawa was already turning and rushing to locate his father. He didn’t need to check up on his men, Oikawa knew this. The Royal Guard was made up of the finest mermen in the ocean.

Or, well…

“Oi, gimme another!” Hanamaki shouted, rushing towards Matsukawa who held a puffer fish carefully in his hands. The two were grinning widely - or languidly might be a better description - their gazes hazed over. Hanamaki took hold of the fish, who was expanded in an attempt to protect itself from the two offenders, before he moved to carefully chew at one of the many needles protruding from its body.

Iwaizumi heaved a sign. At least they were the finest mermen in the ocean when they weren’t deliberately getting _high_ off puffer fish toxins. And witnessing their stupidity was an agitated Yahaba and their newest recruit, Kyoutani, who’s entire body looked as though it was ready to attack anything that even twitched in their direction.

He should’ve expected nothing less, actually.

Iwaizumi sidled up to the group without a word, his hands crossed over the expanse of his chest, his brows set deeply.

“Ah, Iwaizumi, you look like you need a break,” Matsukawa’s voice held no surprise at his sudden appearance as he gestured for him to join them in their antics. His calm demeanor had always impressed and terrified Iwaizumi, whether it was in times of peace or times of war.

“I tried to stop them,” Yahaba was quick to insist, his own arms crossed over his chest. And Iwaizumi was sure he had, it was always Yahaba that he trusted to make sure things were running smoothly when he was absent. While he trusted both Hanamaki and Matsukawa to always be prepared for when the time came, it was reassuring to know Yahaba was physically there to ensure that.

Which is a large part of the reason Iwaizumi had put Yahaba in charge of Kyoutani. He was born to the Siren tribe, which caused quite a bit of conflict when he first appeared at the gates of the Mermaids amid the war, asking to join them and fight against his own people. It had taken awhile, between the distrust of those around him and Kyoutani’s natural wall to refuse to share his reasons for abandoning his people, but he had proved himself to the royal family. He had further proved to be an unfathomable force on the battlefield. It had not taken much convincing on Iwaizumi’s part to recruit him to Oikawa’s personal guard.

But the kid was still on edge - that much was obvious by the way he held himself - from all the immediate disdain he has received over the years for being a Siren. It was Yahaba’s job to make sure that withheld anger was directed at anything other than their own people.

“I’m sure you did,” Iwaizumi commented, the corner of his lip rising as his hand reached for the puffer fish. It had been years since he let himself indulge in such a state of mind. Perhaps even before the war, when they were all young and couldn’t fathom their world falling apart the way it has. “You’re both so childish,” he commented as he tipped his head to chew lightly at one of the needles. Just a little, a short break wouldn’t hurt.

He felt the slight sting of the toxin settle on his tongue, felt how the inside of his cheeks began to tingle. The muscles in his shoulders eased into relaxation, the first time since he created such a negative reaction out of Oikawa. He noticed the way his head began to buzz and directed his barely clear gaze on Yahaba. “Oikawa’s surely to be in a bad mood, don’t let him whine too much,” it wasn’t truly worded as an order, but the two nodded in response before turning to head for the palace. That was the reason he trusted Yahaba, sometimes even more than himself.

“The prince pushes himself too much on those trips,” Hanamaki pointed out a moment later, his body had sunk to just above the sea floor, his tail flopping up over his head.

Matsukawa nodded his agreement, his eyes following the path of the puffer fish as it floated away from them, finally free of its captures. “Next time, you try and stop him,” he pointed at Iwaizumi as he said it, “I about lost my head suggesting he stay behind.”

Iwaizumi gave a somber smile, stretching his arms up over his head. “I could never stop him,” he admitted, “it gives him some kind of hope. I can’t take that away from him.”

“Perhaps he needs it taken away,” Matsukawa countered, “he can’t spend the rest of his life waiting for Ushijima.”

Hanamaki nodded his agreement, “It’s nearly been a century, I don’t think minds are going to change anytime soon.”

Iwaizumi’s mouth opened to respond, unsure of what his fuzzy brain was going to say. But he didn’t get the chance as a sweeping light drifted over the rocks that surrounded them. Their senses were instantly heightened and dipped their bodies tightly into any crevasse they could find. Iwaizumi felt his heart up in his throat, the feeling intensified due to the toxins flowing through his system.

No marine life emitted anything like that. Which meant they were dealing with humans. But how? They had never been able to reach to these depths. Their bodies didn’t allow for it. Iwaizumi had seen the proof of that with his own eyes as a Siren dragged one deeper until they were no longer struggling, blood seeping from their mouth and eyes to dilute with the water around them.

So, how could they be here now?

A strong hum vibrated the water above them, doing nothing to help Iwaizumi’s intoxicated brain focus on the severity of the events at hand. His hands clung tightly to the rock around him, praying to not be spotted. They would not survive another massacre of their species as they had so many years ago. Humans were relentless when it came to the eradication of life that existed within the water. He had seen so many creatures disappear due to human influences - either directly or indirectly. And he was not about to be the reason his people were hunted down.

As the hum subsided, Iwaizumi allowed himself to shift just enough to gain of the waters around him, searching for the cause of the disruption. His eyes easily found a floating red orb, the streaming light brushing over the surface of the ocean floor. Confusion filled his being, for that was no human. It was otherworldly. And it was headed right for their home.

“Get ahead of that thing,” Iwaizumi growled his words, trying to keep his voice down in case the thing had the ability to hear. “Warn everyone that you can before it reaches them. Don’t let it see you.”

Matsukawa wasted no time in pushing himself from his stone haven, rushing in a large arc, using the natural shadows of the ocean to hide from the unseen eyes of the creature.

“What about you?” Hanamaki questioned, his voice baring the nerves that traveled up both of their spines.

Iwaizumi was already moving as he answered, “This thing came from somewhere.” His eyes traveled along the black string that protruded from the top of the orb. It extended towards the surface, surely leading to whatever sent it down into the depths of their home, putting their home and people in danger.

Whatever it was, he was determined to stop it before it discovered anything it shouldn’t.

**...**

“Incredible…” they breathed, their gaze glued closely to the screen that projected the image of their prob below the surface of the water. They were testing its depth tolerance, which meant it’s journey was only supposed to be a short one. But Dot - the prob - was moving along the ocean floor so gracefully, they didn’t want to pull her back up. “There’s more vegetation down here than I could have ever of hypothesized. How does it grow with so little light?”

There was a chuckle behind them, but they couldn’t risk turning their eyes away, not when this was the deepest they had explored. They were the first to see this portion of the Earth’s surface. That single thought brought goosebumps to their skin. Besides, they knew who it was.

“You’re pretty excited about this test,” Asahi pointed out, his large hands finding their home in the deep pockets of his coat. “You know that the numbers could change at any moment, right? We still don’t have a guarantee that Dot will make it through this kind of pressure.”

“How dare you doubt her,” they didn’t need to direct their glare in Asahi’s direction. Based on the small noise that bubbled up from behind they, he had felt it within their voice. “She’s doing beautifully.”

Of course the engineer and mechanic was the one to bring up the possibility of failure. It was his job to consider all possible outcomes and be prepared for any kind of altercation. They supposed they couldn’t fault him on that. Though he was also the one who had led the design on the prob, his lack of confidence in it’s ability is also a source of their irritation.

“Any signs of life yet?” The voice of Daichi sounded as he made his way down into the undercarriage of the ship. His cheeks and nose were pink from the chill of the wind on the deck of the boat.

“Vegetation, mostly,” they informed him, “no other obvious signs of life yet.”

“Vegetation? Really?” The level of awe in his voice was hard not to miss. “So deep?”

Daichi’s job just got much more interesting. As the marine botanist on the team, he had anticipated plankton and algae studies, he had mainly taken this job because they had asked him to rather than the excitement of it. But this just meant that his job had gotten much more interesting.

“We’ll have to collect soil samples as well,” he murmured to himself, already going through the mental list of what he would need.

They finally turned away from the screen, too hyped up on the success of the prob to care about the ache their eyes were currently enduring. Their hands swiped at the material that covered their legs, the anticipation of getting started keeping them from properly relaxing. They had been waiting for the launch of this project for years. After being denied a grant over and over again before finally finding a sponsor that supported their goal, they never thought they would finally be here.

As an environmental engineer specializing in the oceans impact, they had been desperate to find out just how deeply humans had impacted the Earth. Mankind has created irreversible damage to the surface of the planet and they needed to see just how severely they had done that. They hoped to bring forth evidence that would change individuals behaviors towards their planet. Enough of leaning on the theory and possibility of becoming an interplanetary species. They needed to protect the one they were on now.

Static cut through the space, introducing the voice of Sugawara cursing offhand to someone they could only assume was one of the ship’s crewmen. “Uh, you guys are going to want to see this,” he spoke directly into his side of the radio before a short fuzz of static followed his words.

Daichi was the one to reach for the radio and respond. “Something in the water?”

“I wish,” he breathed a laugh that sounded as though he couldn’t believe whatever it was he was seeing, “someone sabotaged our crane. Dot’s cable has been cut.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the ending was rushed a bit. But I really wanna get to when they meet Iwaizumi. So, I’m trying to get there ASAP.

It was impossible. That cable was nearly 5 inches in diameter and was made to support the suspension of bridges. There was no way that thing could have been cut. It was just… impossible.

Or that’s what they told themselves for the short walk onto the main deck.

“Wow,” the word escaped under their breath as their feet slowed. Daichi moved to their left and they felt him stall at the sight beside them. It was an impossibility that was glaring them right between the eyes.

The frayed edges of the cable spread in every direction. Almost as though it was haphazardly gouged at. Water dripped steadily from it, like those droplets were somehow reaching to reconnect with its lost portion beneath the sea. Practically mocking their disbelief.

“Was it… an animal?” Even as the question left their lips, they felt perplexed by how strange that sounded. A marine animal that could do that kind of damage? They might as well be living in the real life version of Jaws if that was the case.

“No,” Kiyoko answered from beside Sugawara, her eyes unwavering from the cable. They were glad she didn’t ridicule them for even suggesting such a thing. “Even if the biggest marine organism targeted this, their bone and tissue wouldn’t be anywhere near strong enough to cut through any portion of that material.” 

So whales and sharks were out of the question. That would’ve been obvious. Especially given how hard it can be to even bend and twist some of the wires in the lab. And those ones were only an eighth of an inch thick with opposable thumbs prying at them. Any animal would struggle ripping apart something like that.

“Sabotage then?” The suggestion came from Sugawara, his gaze hard on the torn apart cord.

“Okay…” Daichi responded slowly, his shoulders were tense as he crossed his arms over his chest, “but who?”

Their eyes immediately started to scan the horizon. Because the question left them all baffled. Who? There was nothing in sight for miles. No large ships, no small boats, not even a scrap of kelp lingering on the surface of the changing waters. Their captain would have informed them of an underwater vessel if there was one. So “who?”is absolutely the correct question to be asking.

Stepping forward, their hands touched at the railing of the ship, fingers curling around the cold rail. The metal hurt against their bare skin, reminding them that this was actually happening. Their eyes scanned over the fraying of the cable, wires tore in every which way. It looked methodical. Like whatever caused the damage knew exactly what they were doing.

They had finally made it out here, finally was getting the chance to be the one to discover their life long curiosities, to be the one to share them with the world. And on their first day - on their first goddamn day - they had lost their most important piece of equipment. This was probably how the creators of the Titanic felt when they heard their masterful ‘unsinkable’ ship was laying on the ocean floor. 

This was going to be a bitch to explain to the donors and investors.

A noise - something bordering on the sound of a shout - caused them to whip their head down towards the water’s surface. Their eyebrows creased, at the plain sight of the ocean water lapping against the side of the ship. Someone - or, more like something - had called out… hadn’t they? That sound was far too distinct not to be real.

Their gaze focused on the ocean’s surface, searching for any disturbance in the water for where the noise might have come from. But there was nothing, just endless blue.

“Well, this is gonna be a pain to write up,” Daichi voice brought them back to the situation at hand. Their eyes scanning the surface once more before leaving the source of the noise to their imagination - a reaction to the confusion and new stress in their jobs.

“I’ll do it,” they offered, bringing themselves away from the edge of the boat, “I’ll also see how much repairs are going to cost.”

“If we can get Dot back,” Sugawara pointed out, his hands stationed on his hips as he scowled out at the sea. “I’ll see about getting something out here to pull her out. No guarantee that there will be a prob that can reach that depth though.”

“We have to at least try.”

So close. They were so close.

…

Iwaizumi’s heart hammered hard against his chest, his hands immediately reaching for the - now dull - weapon at his waist. His tail screamed from the tight grip that dragged him deeper beneath the sea. He felt disoriented, his mind attempting to map out the borders of Siren territory in his mind, terrified that he had inadvertently ended up in bad waters. He felt the water rushing past him and he tried to yank his tail free from the hold that was on it. With his hand finally taking hold of his weapon, he used what little momentum he had to swing back at this assailant.

“Damn it, Iwa-Chan!”

He heard the voice at the same time hid til was released. His bearings finally came back to him and he turned to glare hard at Oikawa. The prince’s hand gripped at his arm where Iwaizumi’s weapon must have come in contact with him. It didn’t appear to be bleeding - thankfully - but from the way Oikawa was shooting daggers into him, it hadn’t been pleasant to feel.

“What the fuck?” Iwaizumi growled, returning the dull weapon to his belt, his eyes hard in return.

“That’s what I should be saying to you!” Oikawa snapped, shaking out the arm that had been hit, his brown eyes moving to inspect the skin there.

“You attacked me, I reacted,” Iwaizumi explained easily. He didn’t like the fact that he had hit the prince, in any other situation, the blow would have caused some serious damage. But he wasn’t going to grovel for forgiveness for reacting to what could have been a life threatening situation. 

“Not that, idiot!” The name threw him, broke through his own angered demeanor. He wasn’t used to Oikawa being the one using them. Iwaizumi was typically the one informing his prince to his idiotic and impulsive behavior. “You could’ve been seen!”

¡Now Iwaizumi got defensive, his arms immediately crossing over his chest. “I’m not stupid, Oikawa,” he felt the irritation rising in his voice. He knew how to avoid humans, knew the dangers of being spotted by one. Being in complete control of any given situation is what made Iwaizumi such a good soldier. Of course, he wasn’t going to let that reputation fall apart just because he wasn’t dealing with a creature from the sea. “I knew what I was doing.”

“What you should’ve done was leave once you took care of the problem,” Oikawa’s voice rose, his chest rising with it. Iwaizumi recognized the gesture and the tone instantly. They were not friends in this moment. A prince and his subject, that’s what they really were.

Iwaizumi dropped his head then, his body curling slightly in response. He gave no verbal acknowledgement, but the body language was enough. Admitting he was wrong was always hard for Iwaizumi. Especially when it came to his actions that he believed were protecting his people.

A silence ran between them, Iwaizumi could feel Oikawa’s eyes piercing into him, making sure that his message was received and would not be challenged again. “Let’s go,” he spoke curtly, “we have to move that thing before the humans wake it up again.”

“Yes, sir.”

…

“Oi, it’s about time you two showed up,” Hanamaki called, his back turned to the red orb which was now resting on the ocean floor. A few remaining dust particles still whirled in the water around it surely from when it made contact. The hum that was coming from it before no longer sounded and the light that nearly blinded them had gone out. The new piece of garbage that the humans had sent into their home looked just like that; a piece of garbage. Another pollutant that had been sent to disturb their home. “This thing is heavy.”

Matsukawa’s head popped up from their other side, his brows scrunched together in the middle. Annoyance radiated from him, but based on the direction of his glare, it was directed at his partner rather than the pair that just arrived. “I suppose we’re not pushing now?”

“How’d you stop it?” Hanamaki ignored him, choosing to learn the how of stopping this situation the next time it happened rather than listen to the nagging of the voice behind him.

“Cut off it’s lifeline,” Iwaizumi answered easily, gesturing to the black cable that connected to its rear. Or what he supposed was the rear. “Whatever it is, it’s human,” his expression contorted slightly as he looked at the orb, “or human-made or… something.”

Oikawa’s gaze lingered hard on Iwaizumi at the mention of the humans. Iwaizumi wasn’t sure if his pent up anger from earlier in the day was just finding its release on Iwaizumi now or if he just wasn’t done getting his point across. Either way, Iwaizumi gave a small bend of his torso in response to the stare.

“And we’re certain it’s dead?” Oikawa finally spoke, moving away from his guard’s side towards to red orb, fingers reaching out to brush against the cold, smooth surface. “It feels dead.”

Rounding the orb, Iwaizumi stared into the large window that was situated at the front. He saw his face reflected in it, saw the frown fixed to his expression glaring back at him. Saw the figure opposite him mimic the actions of reaching his webbed fingers out and press tightly against the rounded surface. “We’re not taking any chances. Get as many able bodies as you can out here. I want this thing as far away from us as possible.” 

He wasn’t sure if he was delivering the order for the sake of his people or if he was attempting to make up for his blunder earlier. Iwaizumi wanted the thing gone with the hope to never see it near his home again - that much was true. But there was something tugging at his gut as he stared deep at the orb. Something that told him he needed to know more. That there was a better way of protecting his people and that maybe those answers sat above the water surface on that boat. The very boat that housed the beings threatening his people and their way or life.

“You have that look on your face,” Matsukawa commented quietly, he was barely aware that he had been stationed in the same spot for probably far too long. Had barely registered the new absence of Hanamaki to carry out his orders. Hadn’t seen the warning glare he was receiving from Oikawa.

Finally removing his hand from the orb, Iwaizumi forced his body away from it, gaze automatically rising to the surface. The beads of light that glimmered down were beginning to fade, suggesting the end of another day. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” was his dismissive comment, immediately starting to focus his attention on a strategy to move the object before them.

He felt the silence heavily around him, it caused the fins at his back to stiffen. Hiding his intentions had not been a skill he was blessed with. Being honest to a fault was the definition of who Iwaizumi priding himself in, especially within his role as the lead of Oikawa’s guard. Today was the first day he regretted having such a reputation.

“Just don’t do anything stupid,” Matsukawa’s warning resonated heavily around them. Because stupid was far from the word needed to define what he was about to do.

…

They groaned as they collapsed into their seat below deck. The tears stung their eyes at the prospect of their project and dream ending before it’s even started. It’d be a goddamn miracle if they were able to convince their sponsor to give them more money. Not for a retrieval of the prob, the repairs of the prob, and a fully funded extension for food, the vessel rental and the crew to man it.

God, so much money down the drain on their first day out. And on a test run.

How embarrassing.

Their gaze rose to the now black screen that had once projected the amazing sights of the ocean floor. With Dot’s cable being cut, most pieces were cut off from their power source. The single detail made them wish they had the foresight to attach the flood light to the independent generator. The GPS system was still up and running, represented by a single red dot on a coordinate screen. They better record the location, just in case the generator died. With the amount of luck they were already having, they wouldn’t be surprised with that worst case scenario.

-61.814029, -147.869780.

Right where they felt her, they supposed.

The camera was being powered by the generator as well. And they had managed to set up a satellite retrieval of the footage rather than sending it through the cable. Which was great, if they had considered recording the test run. It was idiotic of them not to. They were scientists, after all, they recorded everything. Today was just full of mistakes.

And even if they had managed to record the run, they wouldn’t be able to see anything now. With the light out there was nothing to observe other than blackn—

“What the…” they breathed, sure their eyes were mistaken. They squinted their eyes and leaned forward until the light of the screen hurt, but they had to make sure. Because there was absolutely no way in hell there was a human face staring back at them. It was dark and the shapes were obscure… but they could see it. See whatever light remained in that part of the sea reflecting off a nose, cheeks. Could see the faint outline of what could be eyes, lips. Vague shapes that created a whole.

It wasn’t right. It was a trick of the light, maybe the camera wasn’t functioning correctly. Perhaps something had smudged against the screen, leaving marks that their brain was putting into the pattern of a human face. 

There was an explanation. Because there was no possible way that there was a person at that depth—

Movement on the screen caused a sharp gasp to escape from them. They recoiled from the screen before pressing their face in closer. The face was moving, being replaced by a human hand. Or… not human, they supposed. It was—they were—

The shapes were gone before their brain could fully comprehend everything that they had seen. A face. Fingers. All human features. But so distinctly not human. Because that was impossible. Right, impossible.

Their breathing felt unsteady and they were sure their legs were shaking, but their mind was so wrapped up in the images on the screen, they weren’t sure anymore. They weren’t sure of anything in that moment. After convincing themselves that there was nothing but black on the screen, they finally let themselves breath, their body falling back against the support of their chair.

They were getting worked up over nothing. They knew that.

“How’s Dot?” This time the voice startled they, their body jumping instinctively as they turned quickly. Kiyoko’s startled expression was what greeted them and they had to remind themselves to breath again. “Sorry, I should’ve made myself known.”

“No,” they quickly replied, “I’m just… worked up.”

“It is an unfortunate start,” she confirmed, as she stepped closer, “Hopefully it’s the only major hiccup. Is the GPS tracker working at that depth?”

“Uh, yeah,” they answered, pressing the heels of their hands into their eyes. They could see the image of that face behind their eyes, as though it was imprinted into their brain. “I have the coordinates written down just in case it goes out though.”

“Smart,” she commented. Her gaze looked over the monitors before moving to the scrap of paper. “These numbers don’t match.”

“They don’t?”

“No, but it’s minor. Just the—“

The abrupt pause in Kiyoko’s words brought their gaze up again. And it didn’t take them long for their eyes to fall on the display of coordinates. Especially since they were changing.

“That’s impossible.”

Dot was moving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, it’s also shorter than the last chapter. Sorry for that. But I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Again, feedback is always welcome!

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always welcome and appreciated!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
